Bran Van driver Efrem Kleinman '07 smiled when asked about the friendliness of Bran Van passengers. "I've gotten a couple of girls' phone numbers over the years," he said.

This can be the life of a Bran Van driver-cruising around campus, listening to the radio and making friends. But the job is not always a ride in the park. It involves the occasional disruptive passenger, crowded vans and bad weather conditions.

Despite the ups and downs of passenger relations-and the ups and downs of the peripheral road-the drivers say they are enthusiastic about their work and their co-workers.

"Either you guys get off, or this van is not going anywhere," driver John Thomassen '07 said on a recent Friday night.

He directed the comment to a student attempting to fit on the already full van.

"Fucking motherfuckers, we made a reservation," the passenger said.

A party had called in for four, but eight people had gotten on the van at H-Lot. Fourteen people were squashed into the van, two above the limit, and Thomassen wasn't going anywhere until the unreserved passengers exited the van.

"No swearing in the van," Thomassen said.

Grumbling that they weren't swearing, the passenger and his party stepped off the van. Thomassen closed the door.

"Every Friday night," he said under his breath.

"I've seen six people standing before on a Bran Van," another passenger said later in reference to the hullabaloo which delayed his trip.

The Friday night shift, 9 p.m. to 2:30 a.m., is not considered a desirable shift by drivers. So they rotate, filling in the slot twice a semester. Thomassen got the call for the night of March 11.

On this Friday night, the van's travels back and forth from Waltham were pretty unexciting and a bit monotonous, save the passengers who had obviously pre-gamed for a trip to Dartmouth Street before they got kicked off the Bran Van.

Most of the passengers were quietly minding their own business, either having dinner in Waltham, going out or returning home. There were the greetings to and from the driver, with polite goodbyes and quiet conversations in between.

The van's passengers are a slice of Brandesian life, 18 and 30-year-olds, a party of six at a taqueria, a double date at a tapas bar, two guys buying groceries at Victory and a student getting dropped off at his house.

Meanwhile, the dispatcher kept Thomassen informed of his pickups, with a radio that never seemed to stop hissing.

"You have pickups at Dartmouth Street, Gordon's, Victory, the Asian Grill, Cronin's Landing and Lizzie's," she told him, referring to landmarks around Waltham.

"Could you repeat that?" Thomassen asked.

She did, and all but one of the pickups was made. After scanning the area around the Asian Grill, Thomassen radioed back that he could not spot anyone waiting for a ride. The dispatcher asked him to go check again and cutting through the back streets of Waltham, he was back at the Asian Grill in minutes.

He returned to Rabb at 11:30 p.m., the end of his half-hour circuit and had a few minutes to spare before running six more circuits that night. He took out a snack.

"Dinnertime," Thomassen said.



Passenger-Driver Relations

The Bran Van is run primarily by students, putting the drivers in an interesting position.

"You get to interact and meet all kinds of students," head coordinator Aaron "Tex" Levine '05 said. "People make friendships because they see the same drivers at the same time, and they get used to the schedule."

"You really get to know some people's schedules, because they go the same places every week," Thomassen said. "It's especially true for the graduate students who really rely on our service."

Drivers said that passengers are usually more interactive with the drivers on late runs, as opposed to the busy runs of the afternoon.

"Late in the evening, people are going home, and you get a slice of their life," Levine said.

The passengers run the gamut from respectful to rude.

"Usually, passengers are very appreciative and courteous," Kleinman said. "Others are ungrateful."

"There are a couple of people who don't understand the way the Bran Van works and some people with attitude, who get a little testy," Kleinman said. "But most are not too much trouble."

Ed Callahan, the director of public safety, agrees with Kleinman.

"Most students understand the importance of the service," Callahan said. "There are incidences where students treat drivers like servants, but they are ultimately respected as their peers."

For times when dangerous or troublesome situations arise, drivers have a way to get in touch with help.

"Disruptive passengers are a concern for others in the shuttle, as well as the drivers," Callahan said. "If behavior is a concern, a radio keeps communication open with the coordinator and, if necessary, the police."

For less extreme situations or as a first option, most drivers just try talking to passengers.

"If they give you too much trouble, you have the option of just telling them to get off," Kleinman said.

In addition, the police can be called.

Thomassen said he once called the police about a female student who began cursing at him during a campus run. The student wanted to get to Shapiro and Thomassen was scheduled to make the campus loop through East and up to Rabb.

"I told her to get out of the van and she just refused," he said.

Kleinman said a student once filed a complaint against him, when he told a girl returning from Victory that "it probably wasn't a good idea" to go grocery shopping on a Friday night.

"It's like any other job where you have to deal with people," Kleinman said. "You just have to be calm."

The Bran Van also has an established policy in the case of drunk passengers.

"If health is a concern, drivers must call BEMCo," Levine said.

Of course, considering a decent part of van business on weekends is the role of designated driver, drunk passengers can often cause problems.

Regardless of passenger behavior, Levine said that the goal is to give the best possible service.

"Drivers understand to be polite, to be courteous, and to get you where you need to go," he said. "We are an escort service, we take you to and from your destinations safely."

Although its volume is kept low, the music radio is one way that drivers do have complete control over the van no matter what passengers do.

"The Bran Van driver is the undisputed fascist leader of the radio," Kleinman joked. "I've spent a lot of time experimenting with the radio; I know every station you can get."

He said his favorite station is classic rock, station WZLX.

Thomassen enjoys Emerson College Radio and NPR. Others hook up their iPods. Levine enjoyed WBRS when he was behind the wheel, but he reminds his co-workers to keep the radio low, so they can hear their dispatcher.



The Job

"For the amount of driving we do, and the conditions, we get into very few accidents, and have very few complaints," Kleinman said.

Students have to apply to become a Bran Van driver, which is an on-campus job, affiliated with the work-study program.

Once the application is reviewed, the potential drivers are screened, and their driver history is checked. They take the Massachusetts driver's license test, a defensive driving course, a written examination, and practice trips around campus.

"The job pays well, because the responsibilities are high," Callahan said. "It is really a community safety project, so it attracts a responsible group." Callahan commented that most drivers are retained for four years.

In the early afternoon, the Bran Van is driven by part-time adults around campus. After classes are completed, the students take over. There is one shuttle that continues around campus, and another that visits Waltham. These vans run until 2 a.m each day of a week. The van can log up to 2,000 passengers per week.

"I like to think our phone number is probably one of the most popular on campus," Levine said.